Asus Zenfone 4 bringing its affordable dual camera skills to the UK

Asus is making a march back into the UK and Europe, setting the price of £450 against its Zenfone 4 model, launching into Europe at the company's We Love Photo event in Rome.

Asus has had a marked absence from a number of smartphone markets, with the UK a particularly hard nut to crack, thanks to network dominance over the phones that people actually buy. However, you'll be able to get your hands on the Zenfone 4 from the likes of Carphone Warehouse, the Asus store or Amazon, giving you the freedom to pair it with a solid SIM only deal.

Priced as such, this is a mid-range phone that's looking to bring its camera skills to the masses. There's a twin camera arrangement on the back of the phone, boasting a high-spec 12-megapixel camera based on a Sony sensor, with optical image stabilisation, f/1.8 aperture and 1.4µm pixels, so it should be really good in low light.

This is joined by a wide-angle camera, meaning you'll be able to get some really cool shots and offering loads of creative freedom - the sort of thing that the LG V30 offers.

Asus

There's 5.5-inch full HD display on the front of the phone, which is powered by a mid-range Qualcomm Snapdragon 630 chipset with 4GB of RAM. There's 64GB of storage as standard, with the option to expand via microSD.

There's also a premium design on this phone, with an aluminium core meeting a Gorilla Glass front and back; the rear of the phone as a luscious depth to it that shimmers in concentric rings as the light hits it - it really is unique and beautiful.

There's competition for Asus, with the OnePlus 5 available at the same price with more powerful internal hardware and perhaps more of a cult following, and let's not ignore the likes of the Honor 9, from the Huawei sub-brand that's also offering great design and hardware at prices that are hard to ignore.

We've been impressed with this addition to the Android smartphone landscape from what we've seen so far. You can read more details on what this phone offers in our extensive preview right here, and we'll be sure to test that camera to the max to determine whether you really should jump into bed with Asus' latest Zenfone.

The Zenfone 4 will be available for £449.99 from early November, with pre-orders opening on 6 October.

Asus

But that's not all. Asus is also bringing the Zenfone 4 Max to the UK. This is a lower-spec device, powered by a Qualcomm Snapdragon 430 chipset with a 5.5-inch 720p display. It also features the dual camera with an ultra-wide lens on the back, but the Max name refers to the 5000mAh battery. This this phone will likely last you through the weekend.

The Zenfone 4 Max will cost you £249.99 and will be available from 6 October.